Fragments
by SamanthaRose
Summary: A Benign virus appears in Mainframe after the Guardians win a game... could she be a fragment of their fallen comrade, Hexadecimal? reposted


Dot Matrix sat in her small, dim office, vid windows surrounding her as she planned out more security for the System where she lived, Mainframe. Megabyte may have disappeared ages before, but she still had a feeling he was lying in wait somewhere. She sighed, running her fingers through her short hair and standing.

"I need a break." She murmured to herself.

"Excuse me? Did I just hear you say 'I need a break' sugah?" Mouse said as she ducked in through the door, her eyes sparkling mischeviously. Dot leered at her.

"No Mouse, you were imagining things again." She said saracastically, a smirk on her lips. Mouse laughed, walking over and putting her arm around the younger Sprite's shoulders.

"Come on, let's go out for a girls night on the town, darlin', you could use the change."

As they left Dot's office, the two of them noticed that Matrix, Bob and Phong were bent over another vid window, talking to someone. Dot decided not to bother getting involved, continuing to walk with Mouse...

Until she heard the mentioned name of an old friend.

"Perhaps we should heed his warning. I mean, Capacitor wouldn't make up this story for fun, would he? Maybe we should shut down the transports in and out of Mainframe, even if just for a little while." Bob said softly to Phong.

"Capacitor is a senile old binome now, Bob. Sure, he's got a lot of fire, but now, he hasn't got the brains to back it up. " Matrix shot back. "We shouldn't shut down transport just because some ranting, raving old binome is convinced a virus is rampaging through systems."

"Perhaps..." Phong said, resting the tips of his digits together. "We should consult someone who can tell us the truth. Perhaps we should contact Turbo immediatly..."

"What in the net is going on?" Dot asked as she escaped Mouse's embrace and walked over. Both sprites and the head of the Principal Office looked over at her.

…

…

…

"A rampaging virus? We've heard some stories of a worm terrorizing a system far away from here, but there's no way for it to get to Mainframe, I assure you. We haven't heard anything else besides that." Turbo's aging voice said as his image floated before them on the vid window. Dot sighed, frowning slightly.

"Why then, would the Captain insist that a worm was headed straight towards us?" She asked. Turbo blinked, not answering for a moment. When he opened his mouth to respond, the sky outside began to grow dark as a metallic voice filled the air.

"Warning...Incoming Game...Warning...Incoming Game..."

All the sprites sprang into action immediately, Dot heading to the nearest computer to find the coordinates of the Game.

"Sector C. Let's move it, guys!" She called. Matrix, Mouse and Bob took off towards the game, leaving Phong and Dot behind to take care of Mainframe while they were busy. Turbo watched quietly, his eyes guarded against emotion for now. He didn't speak as the two monitered the game, he only watched, his gold flecked eyes taking in the surroundings behind the two of them.

Inside him, something stirred, but he quelled it, not wanting to draw the attention of the other two. Patiently, he sat and waited for the Game to end.

Inside the game, Bob had already done an analysis and was preparing to move out while Mouse and Matrix covered him.

"This game seems Basic enough, but where is the user?" Matrix growled, his metal eye swivelling to see through objects that the others couldn't see through. Bob waved a hand.

"Be patient, Matrix. We're nearing the next level, we'll find the user there." He replied. Matrix grunted in impatience while Mouse scouted a little ahead.

The game was indeed basic, and it was altogether too easy to find the User and destroy him, ending the game quickly. Mouse smiled as the cube lifted, turning to face Matrix and Bob. Her smile left her face slowly as her eyes fell on someone standing behind the two...she had never seen the sprite before. The other two stopped their small celebration upon seeing her face, turning to look at the Sprite as well. Mouse hurried forward and caught the girl's arm as she began to fall.

"Go get Dot..." Mouse said softly. Bob nodded, taking off to get the other woman. Matrix continued to look at the girl, wondering why she seemed so familiar to him.

Her long black hair hung down her back in a braid, shot through with extremely crimson streaks that intertwined down the complex braid. Her eyes were a deep crimson as well, and her skin was very, very pale. Long crimson fingernails curled from the tips of long slender fingers, and her lips were the same color. Her outfit was formfitting, black like her hair, but lined with crimson and gold. Matrix's eye swivelled to look at her, both of them widening.

He looked at her icon, and knew the truth.

Mouse gasped as Matrix held his gun out suddenly.

"Get away from her." He growled. Mouse blinked.

"Honey, what are you doing? Can't you see this girl needs our help?!" She cried. Matrix kept the gun level.

"Mouse, get away from her! She's a virus!"

Mouse looked down at the girl, saw that she was looking up at the older sprite who held her, her crimson eyes questioning. The older woman slowly let the younger go, seeing that she could hold her footing now. Mouse kept slightly in front of the girl, still not sure if Matrix was telling the truth.

"Put your gun away, Matrix. She can barely stand on her own, she can't be dangerous. Besides, I'm not feeling any distrust towards her, so you cool your jets." She said, trying to stop her heart from pounding. She glanced again at the girl, looking up in relief as Bob and Dot came riding into view, along with Ray and AndrAIa.

"Matrix! What's going on?!" Dot cried, landing and running over to her brother. Matrix had his teeth bared in a snarl as he continued to hold his gun out at arms length. The girl was suddenly showing new life as the others came up, her eyes searching the crowd and falling on Bob. The sprite moved forward slightly, drawing the attention of Dot for the first time. She blinked as she looked at her, her eyes narrowing as she tried to figure where she had seen the girl before.

Black and red braid swaying, the girl stepped forward until she was only a few feet from Bob.

"Guardian." She murmured, her voice soft and deep, her eyes holding hidden emotions. Bob looked her over, swallowing.

"Bob, careful, she's a virus." Matrix growled. "And I wish someone would let me shoot her! She doesn't belong here!"

Dot touched Matrix's arm, shaking her head. Bob continued to stare at the girl, his eyes sweeping over her at last. When they, too, fell on the icon, he took a sharp breath in.

"Hex?" He whispered. The new sprite smiled.

"Perfect...she's the reincarnation of Hexadecimal." Matrix growled again, teeth bared. AndrAIa touched his arm again.

"Relax, we don't know that yet." She said. Matrix looked down at her, finally lowering the gun.

"But Bob just said as much!" He cried. AndrAIa shook her head, walking over to Bob to get a better look at the Sprite, or, as they now knew, Virus.

"What's your name?" She asked. The virus looked at her, and immediately, AndrAIa could see the similarities.

"J. My name is J. Peg." The girl said. "Or, at least, that is the name I gave myself when i was created. I came here to warn you and the others, Guardian." Her attention had turned back to Bob.

"Warn us? You came to warn us? Why would a virus warn us and what would a virus warn us about?!" Matrix howled, angry that he couldn't shoot her now that AndrAIa had decided she was good enough to carry on a conversation with. J. smiled, her crimson eyes dancing with inner flames.

"You must be Matrix. Mother warned me about you." She said, laughing. Bob blinked while the others stared at the new girl.

"Mother?" He said, his voice shrill. J. nodded.

"Mother. My mother is Hexadecimal, or rather, I am a fragment of her. I came to warn you that the Captain was right. My sister, Wurm, is on her way to Mainframe."

…

…

…

Matrix strode after Dot in brooding silence, his hand clenched on his gun still as they discussed what was to be done about Wurm.

"I say that we focus on that Fragment standing outside the principal office first!" He snarled. "We need to figure out a way to get rid of it first! Please don't tell me you trust that thing!"

"Matrix, she has a name, and a fragment isn't the same as a virus. Even if she is a virus, she's benign." Dot said softly, trying to console his anger. AndrAIa was ignoring him for the moment, tired of his hot headedness and his hatred.

"There's nothing wrong with her." Bob's voice had a strange tone to it, a strange distance that made Matrix even more angry. If Bob even thought about leaving his sister for the creature that was in their midst now, he'd kill him. "She's not lost, that's for sure, but she's still weak. We should keep an eye on her, until she gets better. Maybe we ought to take her to where the ruined sector used to be, to see if she gets her strength back."

"Bob, are you sure?" Dot asked, suddenly frowning. "She could be waiting for her chance to..."

"If she is a fragment of Hex, she won't harm any of you, not as long as I'm still alive." Bob said heatedly. "Stop being so suspicious. When Hex sacrificed herself, I decided she was a friend. She saved our lives. If this girl really is a fragment of Hexadecimal, which I have no doubt she is, there's a chance that one day, she will save us all."

"She might have done that already, Bob... I am raising the outer defenses!" Mouse shouted, her fingers dancing across the keyboard. "There's a tear opening over the harbor, and there's something big waiting on the other side... Get ready, everyone."

"I'm bringing her in." AndrAIa said, turning and running through the door before Matrix could stop her.

"Wait! AndrAIa!" He called, pulling his gun out and running after her.

…

…

…

J was already heading away from the Principal Office, swaying slightly as she walked, unsure of herself and her ability to reach Wurm before she began to reek havoc on the city.

"Remember Mother... remember Mother...." She whispered to herself, losing her footing and falling to the ground. She took a deep breath to steady herself, trying to get to her feet again, letting out a sound of surprise when someone took her arm.

"Here, let me help you." AndrAIa said softly to the girl, pulling her to her feet. Gritting her teeth, J allowed the other sprite to help her up, looking over at her.

"Take me to the harbor. I've got to try and calm her down!" She pleaded. "I must... do what Mother asked me to!"

AndrAIa regarded her for a moment, then looked back at Matrix, who was a few feet behind them, her eyes guarded. Her mind reached out to him, her face turning sympathetic, pleading to him to understand. Matrix grit his teeth and lowered the gun, turning his eyes away from them.

When he turned them back, the two females were already out of sight.

…

…

…

The tear exploded into a shower of sparks, allowing Wurm to enter, but not to exit again. Her bulk tore along the ground of the harbor, leaving a trail of slime that was disintegrating everything it touched. Luckily, a warning had been issued, and the harbor was empty of binomes and sprites. Wurm thought she heard a voice, turning her sightless head about to try and find the direction from which it came.

"Wurm! Wurm, remember Mother!"

Remember Mother?

Remember... Mother...

Mother...

The Guardian was here!

AndrAIa turned her head in disgust as she and J landed in the harbor on the game sprite's zipboard, the worm virus right in front of them. She was huge and foul, and she smelled worse than any dungeon of any game she had ever played.

"Wurm! Wurm, remember Mother!" J cried, unable now to stand. AndrAIa had a feeling it had something to do with being so close to another fragment. She could see J's colors turning a little fainter with each passing heartbeat, realizing that Wurm must be trying to absorb her back into that massive body.

"Can you stop her?" Matrix suddenly cried from behind them. J looked over at him, her eyes clouded.

"I can try..." She whispered, struggling to her feet, her color turning more solid and bright.

Wurm looked down at the figure who approached, suddenly letting out a roar of anger. It was the one they hated... it was the abomination, J. Peg. She had taken the form of a sprite, while some of the others had taken shapeless forms, and many, many others had chosen the indestructable forms of the worms. She knew they were ugly, and that was why she hated J. J was beautiful.. she wasn't beautiful anymore. Where J was a concentration of all that was benign about Mother, a concentration of her love for the Guardian, Wurm was a bit of the chaos that had consumed Mother. She was nearly mindless... she knew what she wanted.

J was to be crushed under her disgusting body.

J was to be crushed for loving the guardian as Mother had.

J was to be crushed for all the emotion radiating from her now.

J wanted to save the city of Mainframe, but even if she was able to repel Wurm, others would come. Others would come and crush her if Wurm failed.

Surging forward, Wurm let out a screech and attempted to throw her enourmous bulk on top of the pretty little virus.

"Wurm, stop it! Remember Mother!"

The virus flinched and backed up a little, not wanting to remember their mother and her sacrifice for this city.

/I am chaos... I will destroy what she perserved... this city doesn't deserve to remain intact! The Guardian is here!/

"Her defenses are weakening, but she's got a shell around her body! I can't contain her until I find a leak!" J cried, turning back to look at the other sprites. They exchanged glances, then Matrix looked down at Gun.

"What if I made a hole for you?" He asked. J swallowed.

"I'd have to work fast, but I think I might be able to do it then. Just, get out of the way when you shoot her, okay?"

"J!" Bob came riding into view, his eyes wide with terror as he looked at the massive Virus sitting in front of their new friend.

"Leave, Guardian! If you know what's good for you! Matrix, shoot her now, take her attention away from him!" J screamed, her eyes full of panic as Wurm reared up.

Matrix's eye swivelled and began to glow red, his gun powering up as he took aim, teeth bared and a growl surfacing from his throat.

"This one is for Hex!" He shouted, firing a round straight into Wurm's exposed stomach.

The sound of the virus screaming threatened to deafen all who heard it, making them all drop to the ground in pain and terror. J stood straight still, watching Wurm thrashing around and raising her hands above her head.

Slowly, she drew them to her sides, the held them straight out in front of her, fingers splayed, hands with palms touching, fingers facing away from each other. A ball of light appeared in her hands, sparking and blue like a tear.

"Remember Mother." She whispered, as much to Wurm as to herself, then she began to pour her power into the ball of light, looking up at her sister. Wurm keened, watching her as her body sagged to the ground, deflating like a balloon, her body fluids drying up rapidly. J struggled to keep her hold on the ball as it grew in power, watching a small fragment begin glowing inside the deflating body of her sister and concentrating on it. It exploded out of her side and flew towards J, entering the ball and stabilizing it into a small cube of glass. Wurm keened again, then turned into small particles, disappearing into the atmosphere of Mainframe like tears of pain. J collapsed, holding the fragment tight to her body to shield it from hitting the ground. The others were still on the ground, shielding themselves, but Bob was the first to stand, eyes wide as he looked around.

"J?"

The girl didn't answer, laying impossibly still on the ground, curled into a tiny ball. Matrix and AndrAIa stood as well, both wandering over to stand beside him, looking down at her.

"J?" Bob said again, reaching out a hand to touch her arm. She stirred, crimson eyes opening to look up at him.

"Mother was right." She said softly. Bob blinked, tilting his head to the side.

"About?"

"Your hands... they're soft... You must be a good dancer." She fell asleep, not woken by the laughs of Matrix and AndrAIa as they helped to pick her up. Bob felt something inside him aching, wondering why he missed Hex so much. He looked back as they were flying towards the Principal office, his eyes clouding over as he regarded the broken harbor.

/This... is all because of me. And I know it. They're coming here because of me./

Sighing softly, he turned his gaze away, ready to report everything back to Dot when they reached the Principal Office.


End file.
